The present invention relates to automotive accessories and, in particular, to a signaling wiring assembly for vehicles.
Vehicle running boards provide a convenient way to facilitate the entry and exit of a vehicle. Running boards typically extend from the front of the rear wheel to the back of the front wheel. As part of the courtesy lamp system of a vehicle, manufacturers have provided vehicle running boards with lighting assemblies which cause the running board to be illuminated when the vehicle doors are manually opened or ajar, or when the vehicle is unlocked by using a wireless remote. Typically, such lighting assemblies on the running board include elongated light strips formed of a flexible polymer tube having small bulbs electrically connected in parallel through the tube. A conventional running board with a lighting assembly disposed on the outer-side or under-side of the running board is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,494 to Elwell, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
As travel safety is becoming increasingly important, vehicle manufacturers have added various features for enhancing visibility and safety, including supplemental lights for increasing the visibility of motor vehicles and for indicating vehicular braking and turn signaling. In this regard, although factory installed lights on vehicle running boards are included on many vehicles as part of the courtesy lamp system, it would be desirable to utilize one or more of those lights on the running board to provide a turn signal indication on the running boards to improve turn signaling visibility from the side of the vehicle.
The invention achieves the foregoing objective by providing a wiring light assembly for a vehicular running board that adapts an existing running board lighting system to provide an indication of vehicular turn signaling. The wiring light assembly of the present invention accordingly increases side visibility when the vehicle is turning left or right, or is changing lanes left or right, by causing existing courtesy lamps on the running board of the vehicle to flash in synchronism with the designated turn signal.
More specifically, the invention provides a wiring light assembly which is electronically connected in line, without the need to cut wires, with the existing vehicular wiring to the courtesy lamps on the running boards of motor vehicles, for example, Ford or Lincoln vehicles such as Ford Expedition, Ford Excursion, Ford King Ranch or Lincoln Navigator.
The wiring light assembly of the present invention is installed in series with an existing courtesy lamp circuit, and uses the electrical current of the existing courtesy lamp circuit, together with the existing electrical turn signals of the motor vehicle, to cause one or more of the lamps on the running board to blink to indicate a designated vehicle turn signal. Accordingly, the present invention allows a motor vehicle with courtesy lamps on the running boards to be easily retrofitted so as to provide turn signal indication, which is particularly useful when the vehicle is changing lanes. The present invention is furthermore designed such that, when the hazard lights of the vehicle are flashing, the running board lamps flash in synchronism with the other flashing lights.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description that is provided in connection with the accompanying drawings and illustrated exemplary embodiments of the invention.